"JohnDeRosa" wrote in message
...
I have been told that crossing your trailer safety chains is the right
thing to do. Something about if the coupler comes off the ball, the
trailer will be limited in its wayward travel. Sounds like something for
Mythbusters to figure out. Yes or no, what say you?

And while you are at it, anyone have a great crazy "trailer came off the
ball" story to share? You first.

- John

The biggest reason to cross is to keep the tension on the chains equal while
turning sharp, especially.

When the chains are not crossed, if you are turning left, the attach points
on the left side of the trailer and the left side of the hitch are both
getting closer to each other. At the same time, the attach points on the
right side are both getting further away from each other. The slack on the
left may allow the chains to drag. The chains on the right have to be left
loose enough that they do not break or bend something from the stretch.

The end result is that the chains must be much less tight if they are not
crossed. They may drag, if not crossed.

When the chains cross, the left hitch attach gets closer to the trailer, but
the right trailer attach gets further away from the hitch. They cancel out.

Plus, the crossing chains do catch the hitch. I was pulling a boat out with
a borrowed vehicle with a wrong size ball, or the hitch was not latched, or
something. It caught the hitch.
--
Jim in NC



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